After a couple of days spent digging in their heels, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) went on the offensive today, formally offering a draft text -- they're calling it a "survival pact" -- for a legally-binding treaty here in Copenhagen.

The move served a couple of functions. First, it put the legal form of the agreement front and center in the discussion; and, second, it set some baseline numbers for mitigation and finance.

It also puts at the forefront -- in an early "shared vision" statement -- a couple of bottom lines for the planet: 350ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and 1.5 degrees Celcius temperature rise. (In contract, 450ppm and 2 degrees have become the de facto targets for most developed countries.)

As Bill McKibben said, "It's one of the first proposals from this whole conference that takes note of the fact that we're in a crisis, and that scientific reality trumps political reality." 

Here's some video of Dessima Williams, the lead spokesperson for AOSIS, along with Selwin Hart of Barbados and Mohamed Aslam, the environment minister of the Maldives, presenting AOSIS's draft text in Copenhagen:

Read more of Ben’s reports from Copenhagen as part of OnEarth’s ongoing coverage.